Badgers Flatten Hilltoppers, 24-6
September 29, 2001 | Football
Wisconsin redshirt freshman Anthony Davis gained 89 yards on the ground and scored two touchdowns as the Badger football team rolled over Western Kentucky, 24-6, today at Camp Randall Stadium.
'I was pleased to win the game; we won a game we should have won,' said UW head coach Barry Alvarez. 'I thought our defense played well. I didn 't think there were many breakdowns, they tackled pretty well and I liked what they did. Offensively, I was not satisfied. We really couldn't get any rhythm to throw the ball and establish the run.'
Wisconsin (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) held the Hilltoppers (2-2) to 143 total yards and allowed only one pass completion for 28 yards, the lowest passing total by a Wisconsin opponent in the Alvarez era.
Sophomore Mark Neuser kicked the first field goal of his career, a 35-yarder, to give Wisconsin a 3-0 lead at the 11:43 mark in the first quarter. Western Kentucky evened the score at 3-3 with a 29-yard field goal by Peter Martinez, but the Badgers regained the lead on their next possession with a nine-play, 70-yard scoring drive capped by an 18-yard touchdown run by Davis.
Wisconsin extended its lead to 17-3 on its next possession with sophomore quarterback Jim Sorgi leading the Badgers on an 89-yard scoring drive with a 4-of-5 passing effort for 64 yards. Davis earned his second TD of the game with a one-yard run to cap that drive. WKU kicked a last-second field goal from 29 yards out to cut the Badgers' halftime advantage to 17-6.
UW senior Nick Davis broke the game open late in the third quarter, scoring his second touchdown of the season off a 32-yard pass from Brooks Bollinger, giving the UW its final margin of victory.
Anthony Davis has a total of 703 yards rushing this season, the third-highest freshman rushing total in school history, behind only Heisman Trophy winners Ron Dayne (2,109) and Alan Ameche (824).
Wisconsin hosts Indiana on Oct. 6 at 1:05 p.m.
